Carriage for a pneumatic breaker



Feb. 20, 1968 G. E. ANTHONY 3,369,614

CARRIAGE FOR A PNEUMATIC BREAKER Filed July 29, 1966 GLENN E. ANTHONY//vv/v r09 5) BUCKHORM BLORE, KLAROU/ST a SPAR/(MAN ATTORNEYS nite Thisinvention relates to a support and carriage for a pneumatic breaker and,more particularly, to such a support and carriage that will markedlyimprove the port-- ability of the breaker, drastically reduce thevibration resulting therefrom and significantly reduce operator fatigue.

The operation of a reciprocating pneumatic breaker in the past has beencharacterized by limited portability and high levels of vibration andoperator fatigue. This is inherent in the mechanism, which is heavy andcumbersome. Furthermore, the reciprocating action of the bit as itstrikes the work causes a tremendous amount of vibration and requiresmuch strength and effort on the part of the operator to control thebreaker. Also, after the breaker has been driven into the work anyappreciable amount, a considerable amount of strength is required inorder to remove it therefrom. The result of all this has been to makeoperation of a pneumatic breaker an extremely difficult and tiresome joband the production achieved by its use has been limited accordingly.

It is thus the primary object of the present invention to provide acarriage and support for a pneumatic breaker that will markedly andsignificantly reduce the fatigue that the normal operator experiencesafter any appreciable period of use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide such acarriage and support that will significantly reduce the vibrationresulting therefrom.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such acarriage and support that will make it possible easily to withdraw thebreaker from the work and make it readily portable.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such acarriage and support that will increase the amount of work that theaverage operator can achieve during a working day.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such acarriage and support that will utilize the compressed air that powersthe breaker to assist in withdrawing it from the work after it haspenetrated into the same, thereby to reduce the amount of strengthneeded by the operator for that particular function.

These and other objects and advantages are achieved by my carriage whichcomprises a portable base frame adapted to serve as a support for thebreaker. A pneumatic cylinder is mounted on the base frame substantiallyperpendicularly thereto, and the cylinder is supported with respect tothe base frame both at its top and at its bottom to assist in thevibration damping above referred to. A piston is disposed in thecylinder and a rod is attached to the piston. The breaker itself isattached to the top of the rod by a support which is adapted to maintainthe breaker above the supporting surface and out of contact therewithwhen the piston is in its fully elevated position. Resilient means areattached to the support for the breaker to maintain the breaker incontact with the supporting surface when the piston is less than in itsfully elevated position. Finally, means are provided to introducecompressed air into the cylinder and beneath the piston for optionallyraising the piston to its fully elevated position, thereby to withdrawthe breaker tates Patent 3,3fi9,6l4 Patented Feb. 20, 1968 The inventionwill be better understood by reference to the following description anddrawings in which,

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a pneumatic breaker constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the pneumatic breaker shown inFIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the pneumatic breaker shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is there illustrated in theform of a carriage 10 for a pneumatic breaker. The carriage 10 consistsof a generally triangular base frame 12 formed of structural steel angleirons 13, 14, 15 and 16 welded together as shown. A hollow steel rod 17is supported near its ends and at the rear of the base frame 12 by theside angles 14 and 15 thereof. A pair of wheels 18 cushioned bypneumatic rubber tires 19 are each journaled in said rod 17 in a mannerto be hereinafter described, one on either side of the base frame 12. Asupport peg 20 is welded to the angle iron 16 at the front end or apexof the base frame 12 to maintain the same in a generally horizontalposition, parallel to the supporting or work surface S, which may be theground or a section of pavement to be broken by the pneumatic breaker.Obviously, the peg 20 could be replaced by a wheel, if such weredesired. A support plate 22 is welded to the side angles 14 and 15 ofthe laase frame 12 to support a cylinder to be described ater.

A pair of vertical tubular steel supporting members 26 are welded to theupper surfaces of the side angles 14 and 15 of the base frame 12, one oneither side thereof and directly over the rod 17 and adjacent the wheels18. The vertical supporting members 26 are joined together approximatelyat their mid-lengths by a tie bar 28. A pair of curved, generallydiagonally extending tubular supporting members 30, 31 are alsoprovided, each of these members being attached near its upper end to theupper end of the corresponding vertical support member 26 and at itslower end to the angle iron 16 at the apex of the base frame 12. Themembers 30', 31 terminate in hollow hand grips 32, 33, respectively.

A heavy-duty two-way pneumatic cylinder 34 is welded to the supportplate 22 and positioned near the front of the base frame 12, as shown.The cylinder 34 includes a pneumatically elvatable piston 38 disposedtherein, to the upper surface of which piston is attached a vertical rod40, as shown. The top 42 of the cylinder 34 is supported to resistvibration by a flexible generally arcuate plate 44 welded thereto and tothe support members 30, 31. The plate 44, although flexible, is strongenough to give the top 42 of the cylinder 34 complete stability, lateralas well as vertical, and yet it is not stiff and heavy enough to breakunder the vibrations to which it is subjected.

A steel right angle bracket 46 is welded by its horizontal leg 47 to thetop of the rod 40. The bracket 46 has a vertical leg 48 extendingparallel to the rod 40. The vertical leg 48 is strengthened by a rib 49welded therto. A pneumatic breaker 50 having a reciprocating workentering tool or hit 52 is attached to the vertical leg 48 by means oftwo U-clamps 54 and nuts 56. The U-clamps 54 are positioned on thebreaker 50 so that when the rod 40 is in its fully elevated position,the tool or bit 52 is above the supporting surface S and out of contacttherewith. A pair of vertically extending guide plates 60 are attachedto the carriage 10 by welding them to the base frame 12, the supportingmembers 30, 31 and the tie bar 28. Th guide plates 60 furnish lateralrestraint for the pneumatic breaker 50. The horizontal leg 47 of thebracket 46 is provided with a downwardly extending flange 64 to whichare bolted the'upper ends of two rubber shock cords 66,v the lower endsof which are bolted to an upstanding fiange 68 welded to the angle iron16 of the base frame 12. The rubber cords 66 urge the tool 52 intocontact with the supporting surface S and reduce the amount of theoperators Weight heretofore used forthat purpose.

Each of the wheels 18 rotates on ball bearings around a short axle 70that fits into an end of the hollow rod 17 and is welded thereto as at72. This method of suspension of the wheels 18 is necessary in order toprevent breaking of the axles which would otherwise occur due to thevibrations to which the carriage is subjected were only one axleprovided running completely through the rod 17.

Compressed air for the pneumatic breaker 50 is provided through a mainair hose 75. A bleeder line 77 from the air hose 75 is adapted to beconnected to the hollow hand grip 33 on the member 31 by a standardquickconnect type of fitting 79. A valve 80 is provided on the hand grip33 such thatywhen the trigger 81 thereof is actuated, air from the mainair hose 75 can pass through the bleeder line 77, into the hand grip 33,and through the support member 31. A conduit 82 is provided to join themember 31 with the bottom of the cylinder 34.

Thus, compressed air which enters into the member 31 passes through theconduit 82 and thence into the cylinder 34, thereby to raise the piston38, the rod 40 and the pneumatic breaker 50. A restrictor or bleedervalve 86 is provided at the upper end of the cylinder 34 to cushion therise of the piston 38 therein and a bleeder hole 88 in the supportmember 31 allows the piston 38 to descend after it has once beenelevated, thereby to permit the rubber shock cords 66 to bring the tool52 into contact with the work.

The operation of the carriage is as follows. After it is wheeled to thesite, the breaker 50 is operated in its normal manner, with theexception that it is supported substantially vertically by the carriageinstead of by the operator and urged into contact with the work by therubber shock cords 66 instead of by the operators weight. After the toolor hit 52 has penetrated to the desired depth, the trigger 81 isactuated to permit compressed air to raise the piston 38 and rod 40 aspreviously described and thus easily withdraw the tool 52 from the work.Should a large amount of force be required, the valve 86 will prevent asudden upward movement of'the rod and breaker.

I have thus provided a carriage for a pneumatic breaker which isdesigned throughout to make the same easily portable, and which willreduce vibration to a minimum and operator fatigue correspondingly. Useof the same supply of compressed air that actuates the breaker permitsthe same to be withdrawn from the work'easily and with the expenditureof much less effort by the operator. It is thus possible for an operatorto accomplish significantly more work with a pneumatic breaker supportedby the carriage of my invention than when he uses the same by hand. Thecarriage of my invention therefore will reduce the strength required tooperate a pneumatic breaker, and will permit the average operator toachieve amuch higher work output.

In the foregoing description, although the invention has been describedwith reference to a pneumatic breaker, it would be equally applicablefor use with an electrically or gas powered breaker. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the specific details shown are merely illustrativeand that the invention may be carried out in other ways withoutdeparting from the true spirit and scope of the following appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A carriage for a reciprocating breaker, comprising:

a portable base frame adapted to serve as a support for said breaker,said base frame including a support plate attached thereto;

a pair of wheels journaled one on either side of said base frame andadapted to run over a supporting surface;

a cylinder mounted on said base frame with the longitudinal axis of saidcylinder substantially perpendicularly thereto, the bottom of saidcylinder being attached to said support plate;

flexible means to support the top of said cylinder with respect to saidbase frame;

an elevatable piston disposed in said cylinder;

a. rod attached to said piston;

breaker support means adapted to be secured to a breaker, said breakersupport means being attached to the top of said rod, said breakersupport means being adapted to maintain such breaker fully'above saidsupporting surface and out of contact therewith when said piston is inits fully elevated position;

a resilient means attached to said breaker support means for maintaininga breaker secured thereto in contact with said supporting surface whensaid piston is less than in its fully elevated position; and

means to introduce fluid under pressure into said cylinder and beneathsaid piston for optionallyraising said piston to said fullyelevatedposition, thereby to withdraw said breaker from contact with saidsupporting surface.

2. A carriage for a reciprocating breaker as described in claim 1,further comprising a pair of vertical support members attached to saidbase frame, one of said support members being adjacent each of saidWheelsyand a pair of diagonally extending tubular support members, theupper ends of said diagonally extending tubular support members beingattached to the upper ends of said vertical support members, the lowerends of said diagonally extending tubular support members being attachedto said base frame.

3. A carriage for a reciprocating breaker as described in claim 2, inwhich said means to support the top of said cylinder comprises aflexible horizontal plate attached to said cylinder and to saiddiagonally extending support members.

4. A carriage for a reciprocating breaker as described in claim 3,further comprising a pair of vertically extending guide plates, theupperends of each of said guide plates being attached to said horizontalplate at the attachment thereof to said diagonally extending supportmembers, the lower ends of said guide plates being attached to said baseframe.

5. A carriage for a reciprocating breaker as described in claim 2, inwhich said means to introduce fluid under pressure into said cylindercomprises a conduit attached at one end to one of said diagonallyextending tubular support members and at the other end to said cylinder.

6. A carriage for a reciprocating breaker as described in claim 5,further comprising valve means in communication with the upper end ofsaid one diagonally extending tubular support member for regulating theflow of fluid into said member, through said conduit and into saidcylinder.

7. A carriage for a reciprocating breaker as described in claim 6,further comprising a bleeder hole in the lower end of said onediagonally extending tubular support member to permit said piston todescend after it has been elevated in said cylinder.

8. A carriage for a reciprocating breaker as described in claim 1, inwhich said breaker support means comprises a right angle bracket, thehorizontal leg of said bracket beingattached to said top of said rod,the vertical leg of said bracket being adapted to beattached to abreaker.

9. A carriage for a reciprocating breaker as desrcibed in claim8,'further comprising at least one U-clamp for attaching a breaker tosaid vertical leg of said right angle bracket.

19. A carriage for a reciprocating breaker as described in claim 1, inwhich said resilient means comprises at least one rubber shock cord, theupper end of said shock cord being attached to said breaker supportmeans, the lower end of said shock cord being attached to said baseframe.

11. A carriage for a reciprocating breaker as described in claim 1,further comprising a restrictor valve in the upper end of said cylinderto cushion the rise of said piston therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Prellwitz 173139 X Hansen 17322Hohmann et al 173-23 Curtis et al 173-23 Cornett 29937 X Mangeng et al17323 X FOREIGN PATENTS 2/1939 France.

ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner.

1. A CARRIAGE FOR A RECIPROCATING BREAKER, COMPRISING: A PORTABLE BASEFRAME ADAPTED TO SERVE AS A SUPPORT FOR A BREAKER, SAID BASE FRAMEINCLUDING A SUPPORT PLATE ATTACHED THERETO; A PAIR OF WHEELS JOURNALEDONE ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID BASE FRAME AND ADAPTED TO RUN OVER ASUPPORTING SURFACE; A CYLINDER MOUNTED ON SAID BASE FRAME WITH THELONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID CYLINDER SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULARLYTHERETO, THE BOTTOM OF SAID CYLINDER BEING ATTACHED TO SAID SUPPORTPLATE; FLEXIBLE MEANS TO SUPPORT THE TOP OF SAID CYLINDER WITH RESPECTTO SAID BASE FRAME; AN ELEVATABLE PISTON DISPOSED IN SAID CYLINDER; AROD ATTACHED TO SAID PISTON; BREAKER SUPPORT MEANS ADAPTED TO BE SECUREDTO A BREAKER, SAID BREAKER SUPPORT MEANS BEING ATTACHED TO THE TOP OFSAID ROD, SAID BREAKER SUPPORT MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN SUCHBREAKER FULLY ABOVE SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE AND OUT OF CONTACT THEREWITHWHEN SAID PISTON IS IN ITS FULLY ELEVATED POSITION; A RESILIENT MEANSATTACHED TO SAID BREAKER SUPPORT MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A BREAKER SECUREDTHERETO IN CONTACT WITH SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE WHEN SAID PISTON IS LESSTHAN IN ITS FULLY ELEVATED POSITION; AND MEANS TO INTRODUCE FLUID UNDERPRESSURE INTO SAID CYLINDER AND BENEATH SAID PISTON FOR OPTIONALLYRAISING SAID PISTON TO SAID FULLY ELEVATED POSITION, THEREBY TO WITHDRAWSAID BREAKER FROM CONTACT WITH SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE.